Emotional Freedom Technique, commonly known as tapping or energy psychology, is an evidence based practice used to treat anxiety and phobias. This proven method helps clear low frequency emotions while diminishing any limiting beliefs that may exist in one’s mind.
Church notes that certified practitioners guide individuals in focusing on their problem while stimulating acupoints – also called acupressure points. This activation activates brain chemicals which calm the body’s stress response.
How It Works
EFT works on the principle that emotional distress is caused by disruptions to one’s energy system, using a series of acupressure points to promote its flow and relieve emotional distress. Individuals are encouraged to think about an issue or feeling they’re struggling with while tapping these acupressure points.
This process stimulates meridians, clearing away blocked energy to facilitate the movement of kinetic energy and promote its flow. It may help individuals release negative limiting beliefs associated with distressful feelings or thoughts and also stimulate neurotransmitters that help maintain overall mental wellness. Physical tapping with fingertips also serves to stimulate neurotransmitters that regulate emotional states for improved wellness.
EFT can help individuals manage anxiety caused by trauma or life events, depression, complicated grief and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When tapping alone isn’t sufficient, working with a licensed mental health practitioner may be recommended.
EFT tapping draws its science from ancient healing practices such as acupuncture and Thought Field Therapy (TFT), an early form of energy psychology developed by American psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan in the 1980s and later simplified by Gary Craig into Emotional Freedom Technique or tapping.
EFT therapy involves tapping on specific acupuncture points on their face and upper body while focusing on their relationship to a fear-inducing trigger, with the aim of retraining their brain not to activate fear responses in response. EFT can be effective at treating phobias as it reduces response intensity while helping individuals desensitize themselves to their trigger.
At an EFT session, therapists can address the beliefs and emotions contributing to a phobia and help individuals gain greater insight into their phobic responses. Through retraining the brain and releasing emotional triggers, this treatment may bring long-term relief from these unreasonable fears.
Benefits
People find EFT to be an effective method for combatting their fears when administered under the guidance of a trained therapist. EFT may serve as a useful adjunct therapy such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), desensitizing individuals to their fear responses so that they may begin facing situations they previously avoided.
Emotional Freedom Technique works on the assumption that emotional distress results from disruptions to our energy system, and through tapping on specific acupressure points it aims to restore equilibrium and reduce emotional distress. It has proven particularly effective at treating phobias by targeting their source and making management simpler.
EFT targets acupressure points believed to be connected with the limbic system – responsible for controlling fear responses in humans – by tapping these points, EFT is believed to disrupt conditioned fear responses and help people feel calmer and more assured quickly. Many clients experience immediate results from EFT with reduced symptoms related to their phobia as well as related emotions.
EFT sessions begin by asking their client to identify specific triggers of their fear or anxiety, then guide them through a tapping sequence tailored specifically for that issue. Usually this process can be completed in just a few sessions but follow-up may be needed; after having gone through this tapping procedure with them, therapists then ask their clients to rate emotional intensity for that specific trigger on a scale from zero to 10. Once this has been completed several times over, until therapists feel as if intensity levels have settled down towards neutral.
EFT should be considered not just as an effective treatment for phobias but as an additional tool to manage stress, anxiety, self-sabotage, physical pain and cravings/addictions. Therefore, clients are strongly advised to work with a licensed mental health professional when adding EFT into their treatment plan.
Side Effects
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a form of psychological counseling that involves tapping on specific acupressure points. These points are believed to connect to meridians within your body’s energy flow, so tapping them while focusing on emotional issues may help alleviate feelings and bring about healing. EFT is safe and noninvasive with no reported side effects in research; you can use it alone or combine it with medications, hypnosis or psychotherapy as treatment modalities.
Studies conducted by researchers revealed that tapping can be an effective treatment option for those living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly when used alongside traditional mental health therapies like EFT and talk therapy. Patients receiving both treatments showed improvements on the PTSD scale compared with those receiving only one type of treatment alone; it can also help address other forms of anxiety or phobias.
Many who employ the tapping method report positive results in terms of relieving or eliminating symptoms, but it should be noted that it cannot treat every ailment on its own. Therefore, complementary therapies like talk therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) should often be utilized alongside this form of treatment.
One Vietnam veteran came to a VA clinic seeking relief from posttraumatic stress disorder after decades of suffering, though initially was reluctant to address his trauma using any psychotherapeutic method (stating it would be like “experiencing it all over again”). Within four EFT appointments however, his PTSD symptoms significantly subsided.
EFT can also provide relief for both physical and mental distress, since a balanced energy system is necessary for our bodies to function optimally; trauma may throw this balance off, however; practising EFT may restore it and provide long-lasting pain relief.
Although research on this method remains limited, it has proven effective for treating anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For those struggling with these issues, trained professionals can teach them the tapping technique independently or incorporate it into therapy sessions as part of regular sessions.
How to Find a Therapist
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a form of Energy Psychology – a psychotherapy method which utilizes energy healing techniques – often known as psychological acupuncture without needles, it’s a proven treatment for many psychological issues, marriage and relationship counseling, and has even shown promise in reducing conflict and improving communication between partners.
At present, there are countless variations of tapping therapy, most derived from Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Indeed, its wide availability speaks volumes about its power; there are various techniques and variations, each proven effective to varying degrees by TFT. TFT’s popularity can be witnessed through its many certification bodies such as AAMET, EFTuniverse and the International Centre of Excellence in Emotional Freedom Techniques that oversee this industry.
No matter the specific model used, all forms of EFT work by clearing low frequency emotions and limiting beliefs through tapping. Its goal is to release negative patterns from within one’s body so they may experience more peace and joy in their life. Therefore, finding an experienced practitioner can aid this process effectively.
A good therapist will first listen to their clients to identify the core issue, then guide them through EFT. This often includes rating a trigger and tapping on various meridian points while thinking about it; occasionally the therapist may instruct clients to tap while also describing physical sensations or emotions they experience while tapping. This process should continue until rates drop to near zero or close to it.
EFT has proven itself effective at treating many different mental health issues, from trauma, phobias, anxiety and depression to addictions and cravings. Some studies have even discovered that EFT can reduce cortisol levels within the body.
Finding an EFT therapist who has undergone training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is recommended, as this approach emphasizes emotional regulation as an integral component of human experience and essential for creating healthy relationships. ICEEFT offers an international network of EFT specialists trained in this cutting edge method of therapy.